Upon hearing the familiar mechanical voice of the System, Jiang Xuan suddenly felt a glimmer of hope for a turnaround in his situation.
To stall Xiao Hong Xin, he boldly wrapped his arms around her fair neck.
“Big sister Hong Xin, could you give me a bit of time to process this? Don’t worry, I won’t run away. It’s just… I’ve had some concerns…”
“Concerns about being with me? Is it because of the Pavilion Master’s fiancée?”
“Mm-hmm, actually, marrying her isn’t as simple as it seems on the surface. I mentioned to you before that I’m not just a young master from the Jiang Family; I’m also the Holy Son of a hidden sect. I was chosen for my looks, to be honest.”
“The sect has a rule: the Holy Son can only marry the Holy Daughter from the sect. This rule is meant to motivate the female disciples to train harder. The selection criteria for the Holy Daughter are incredibly strict. She must be a once-in-a-million martial genius and her strength must overshadow all contemporaries. After three long years, they finally selected someone worthy of that title—Nangong Liu Yun.”
“I know you’re powerful, Hong Xin, but compared to Nangong Liu Yun, there’s still a big gap. The only reason you could get me away from the Nangong Mansion this time was that she had urgent business outside. Her strength can only be described as terrifying—at just 20 years old, she’s already at the pinnacle of the Martial Emperor’s ninth level. The sect leader even claimed she’s a peerless genius who will dominate an era. So, from the beginning, I never rejected this marriage because I knew it was my destined fate—an unchangeable fate.”
As he finished speaking, Jiang Xuan leaned in and gave Xiao Hong Xin a light kiss on the cheek.
“Deputy Pavilion Master, you might as well put me down. I can pretend today never happened, you know?”
After a lengthy silence, Xiao Hong Xin slowly responded, “I noticed the way the Pavilion Master addresses me has changed again. You don’t actually think this little issue can intimidate me, do you? Surely you underestimate my long-standing determination towards you.”
“Hehe, can a peerless genius do whatever they want? Can a peerless genius just take away someone else’s love? The one I’ve set my eyes on will absolutely not be snatched away. Just a Martial Emperor ninth level, especially one that’s so young. I might even defeat her!”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan was slightly taken aback and secretly activated the scan function of the System. To his surprise, the results were rather optimistic.
Name: Xiao Hong Xin
Current Cultivation Level: Martial Emperor Level Three
Background: Divine Martial Dynasty – Jiang Family’s Disowned Daughter
Spiritual Root: Rare Immortal Spiritual Root
Current Affection Level Towards Host: 9999
System’s Heartfelt Reminder: The beauty is infatuated; a moment of merriment is worth a thousand gold. It’s suggested that the host enjoys the moment.
Jiang Xuan: “??????”
Initially, Jiang Xuan felt warmed by the background hint provided by the System, ready to shower it with compliments. But when he saw the System’s heartfelt reminder, he nearly lost it.
While he wanted to confront the System in his mind, for now, he had to first appease Xiao Hong Xin. Otherwise, with his current fragile state, he might not even get out of bed again.
Moreover, he wasn’t sure when Nangong Liu Yun would return, which was something to watch out for. If she came back too early and showed up at his door, he’d be in trouble. After all, Nangong Liu Yun told him that if he dared to leave the Nangong Mansion, the punishment would be three months stuck in bed!
Thinking of this made Jiang Xuan’s legs feel a little weak. He thought for a moment and said to Xiao Hong Xin, “Sister Hong Xin, I know you’re anxious, but don’t rush it. How about we leave the Jiang Family first? I don’t feel safe here.”
“I… I heard my fiancée say… if she finds out I snuck out of the Nangong Mansion, she… she’d make me lie in bed for at least three months…”
“What? Your fiancée is that overbearing? She wants to restrict your freedom?!”
“Ah? Yes, exactly… she’s very domineering… let’s just leave here.”
Xiao Hong Xin misunderstood Jiang Xuan’s words, but he didn’t feel it necessary to correct her. He just wanted to use the opportunity to escape the Jiang Family. He had a gut feeling that Leng Wu Shuang, or Xia Xiao Yu, or even Murong Ying, would visit the Jiang Family sooner rather than later.
Staying and waiting for a battlefield would be foolish; his life was at stake—better to avoid this.
Once he got some good stuff from the System and became stronger, he would definitely come back!
At that moment, Xiao Hong Xin slowly put Jiang Xuan down, her expression resolute as she declared, “Anyone who tries to harm the Pavilion Master, I won’t let them go!”
Jiang Xuan: “???????”
At this point, Jiang Xuan was perplexed. What kind of pig teammate had just appeared out of nowhere? How could this happen?!
Staying in the Jiang Family had no benefits for him and way too many people to guard against. He would face not just Nangong Liu Yun but an entire terrifying battlefield.
The craziest part was that the reason for this battlefield wasn’t even his fault; it all stemmed from his looks. Those previous golden patrons couldn’t stop thinking about him!
But at the end of the day, it was still the System’s fault! If the System hadn’t suggested he max out his charm, he wouldn’t be in this mess.
Scanning System: “???????”
Returning to reality, Jiang Xuan decided he needed to convince Xiao Hong Xin to leave the Jiang Family. He held her hand, giving her the most pitiful look he could conjure.
“Um… I really don’t want you to stay here, sister Hong Xin. Even though I know you’ve grown stronger than before, I think even if you could face Nangong Liu Yun, it would just end up as a mutual loss, and I don’t want to see you get hurt…”
Upon hearing Jiang Xuan’s words, Xiao Hong Xin felt a bit moved.
【The Pavilion Master actually cares so much about me, even worrying I might get hurt! He really loves me! Otherwise, why would he be worried about me and not Nangong Liu Yun? After so many years, he’s finally responding to my feelings! What do I do? I can’t refuse him when he looks like this!】
Finally coming to her senses, Xiao Hong Xin nodded vigorously.
“Alright… I’ll listen to the Pavilion Master. Let’s leave through the secret passage. But if your domineering fiancée dares to come after us, I won’t let her off so easily!”
“Mm-hmm, then let’s go.”
As Jiang Xuan spoke, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, leaving Xiao Hong Xin momentarily spellbound.
At that moment, Jiang Xuan couldn’t help but think:
【Women in this world really take appearances too seriously. Even with such glaring differences in strength, they insist on facing things head-on. What are they thinking? Plus, they all seem to like gentle and kind men. It’s like you have to show weakness and sincerity to settle them down. But the more fragile I act on the bed, the less they let me off, throwing guilt my way while showing no pity. This is a bit disturbing. It turns out that only by becoming strong can I escape this control!】
Soon, Xiao Hong Xin led Jiang Xuan through the secret passage in the room.
Once inside, Jiang Xuan’s thoughts shifted to the System space in his mind.
“System, you finally upgraded! Where’s my upgrade gift bag? Hurry up and hand it over; I want to see if there’s anything good in it.”
“Ding! Host, this upgrade does not come with a gift bag.”
Jiang Xuan: “?????”
“Wait, no gift bag? I’m a little disappointed. So what new functions did you get? Tell me about them.”
“Ding! This upgrade has optimized the scan function.”
“Uh-huh, go on?”
“Host, as mentioned earlier, this upgrade optimized the scan function. Additionally, according to the changes in the affection levels of scanned individuals, this system now provides thoughtful reminders to help the host respond better. And with your unparalleled charm and maxed-out allure, you can now do as you please in that regard.”
Jiang Xuan: “?????”
After hearing the scanning system’s description, Jiang Xuan was completely enraged. His tone turned icy as he said:
“System, after all these years of seeing you finally upgraded, I was filled with anticipation. I believed you would successfully rescue me from this dire situation. But what do I get? Upgraded for two days, and this is it? You think this is funny? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these past two days? I’ve just been a plaything, having to smile and compliment others, all to buy time while enduring being trampled on. Where’s this doing as I please? I’m at the mercy of others!
And throughout it all, I kept telling myself to hold on for your sake, thinking your upgrade brought hope, but what I got instead was despair…”
“Host, this system…”
“Don’t call me host! That host is dead! The moment you started upgrading, that host died!”
After giving the System a thorough earful, Jiang Xuan finally felt a little refreshed.
He couldn’t help it; those around him were all big shots, so he could only pick on the little System. And truthfully, he was a bit disappointed after the upgrade. No big gift bag again, as stingy as ever.
But after calming down, he realized his reaction was a bit excessive. The System had accompanied him for so many years. Even if there were no achievements, there were hardships. It brought fatigue, serving a useless host like him.
Thus, Jiang Xuan sincerely continued in his mind, “System, I did act impulsively earlier. Please don’t take it to heart. After all these years, you’ve never turned your back on me. Thank you for being by my side.
If one day I can’t hold on and fall in the chaos, just remember to collect my corpse. Life goes on, whether aimlessly or desperately holding on, any kind of life is still precious time in this world for me…”
Before Jiang Xuan could finish, the scanning system cut in unexpectedly:
“Host, I haven’t finished my earlier explanation. This upgrade has a hidden feature.
This hidden feature may just allow you to step onto the path of cultivation.”
Jiang Xuan: “!!!!!!!”
Upon hearing those words, Jiang Xuan’s eyes instantly lit up and he changed his demeanor in an instant.
“System, you know me. While you were busy upgrading, I was praying for your safe return! By the way, what exactly is this hidden feature? It could be anything! It’s your thoughtfulness, so I need to research it seriously.”
At that moment, the System’s mechanical voice slowly responded, “This hidden feature is called ‘Copying Spiritual Roots.'”
Jiang Xuan: “!!!!!!!!!!”
